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Showing posts from May, 2018

The deafening message of Trump"s Dinesh D"Souza pardon

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ADVERTISEMENT Sign Up for Our free email newsletters President Trump announced Thursday that he would pardon Dinesh D"Souza, the loopy conservative operative who pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance law: Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2018 It is a spectacular abuse of the pardon power and a barely-veiled announcement that Trump will use that power to protect odious conservative criminals and undermine the Mueller investigation. D"Souza is best known today for being too weird for polite company and incredibly racist — though his arguments and positions also have a strange tendency to flip around all over the place. As Alex Nichols writes , he got his start in politics with a deeply racist newspaper at Dartmouth, and then with moldy-oldie arguments about how slaves in the antebellum South were treated "pretty well." He got wide not

"I"m guilty of caring too much": Accused denies involvement in Samantha Kelly"s murder

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Prosecutors allege they and Arthur plotted the death so Ms Lyons could take over custody of Ms Kelly"s children. Loading Lawyers for Ms Lyons, 47, and Mr Lyons, 45, say Arthur acted alone in killing Ms Kelly and later lied that his housemates were involved. In the interview with police, Ms Lyons said she didn"t see Ms Kelly the day after they sat in the lounge together, as Arthur told her Ms Kelly was unwell and resting in the bungalow. Ms Lyons told police that either late on January 22 or in the early hours of January 23 that Arthur came in from the bungalow and said he had "done something really stupid". "I was told Peter put a pillow on her face and she fought him off and she was going to to go to the police. That"s all I know," Ms Lyons told the detectives. She cried when one of the officers told her Arthur had admitted killing Ms Kelly. Loading Ms Lyons told police Arthur had said Ms Kelly"s children were now safe from their mother. She sai

15 people reveal what it"s like to be "the other woman"

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Former Starbucks barista thinks racial bias got her kicked out of Orlando Starbucks

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Danya Henninger, Special to FLORIDA TODAY Published 3:00 p.m. ET May 31, 2018 CLOSE Starbucks closed thousands of U.S. stores for a few hours on Tuesday to conduct anti-bias training. It"s the company"s latest step to deal with the fallout over the arrest of two black men at one of its shops in Philadelphia. (May 29) AP The company"s response to the Philly arrests gave this former Starbucks barista the courage to share her own experience in an Orlando Starbucks. Starbucks Coffee made quite a stir with a plan to hire thousands of refugees. (Photo: Provided) Story Highlights Castaneda was a barista at Starbucks for 14 years The situation started with a request for extra soy milk Castaneda was the only Hispanic in the cafe at the time Uniformed armed men escorted her from the Orlando Starbucks It was two years ago that Iris Castaneda was escorted out of a Starbucks in Orlando by security guards after arguing with a barista over soy milk. Though she immediately felt she’d

What"s my husband got to do with it?

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PUBLISHED: 19:00 31 May 2018 Afua Hirsch Pusha T, Whitney Houston, and Kanye West. Picture: PA PA Is it ever acceptable to define a woman’s work by her husband? Afua Hirsch discusses the issue of society deciding a woman’s role and what they can do with their bodies. <!-- --> This was the week we all learned a new Irish phrase – Tiocfaidh ár mná – or, in English, ‘here come our women’. Has the media ever given so much airtime to the voices of Irish women as in the last few days? The coverage began with the simple act of Irish people returning from the diaspora to cast their vote in a referendum on whether the Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution – which bans abortion – should be repealed. The world’s media documented the so-called #HomeToVote movement, predicted a win for the repeal, and took in what turned out to be a resounding victory, as the measure was overturned by a landslide. It was, above all, a women’s landslide. The referendum results showed t

Commons Speaker John Bercow admits using the word "stupid" in parliament – video

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John Bercow has been reported to the parliamentary commissioner for standards over claims he called Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, a "stupid woman". Bercow says he was making a comment about the government’s conduct, not about Leadsom’s intelligence • John Bercow reported to Commons watchdog over "stupid woman" claims 

Samantha Bee hits Ivanka Trump with a filthy sexist attack -- The silence on the left is deafening

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In her show “Full Frontal” on TBS Wednesday, Trump-hating left-wing comedian Samantha Bee used an obscene and sexist term in a disgusting attack on President Trump’s daughter and adviser Ivanka, calling her a “feckless c---.” This comes on the heels of ABC cancelling the hit show “Roseanne” this week after Roseanne Barr tweeted out a disgusting racist rant about Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman who served as senior White House aide to former President Obama. While no one at TBS is talking about Bee losing her job, she got enough criticism to prompt her to back down Thursday afternoon, tweeting : “I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it.” Let’s be clear: There is absolutely no excuse for Barr’s racism. But in exactly the same way, there is absolutely no excuse for Bee’s sexist tirade against Ivanka Trump. J

Dog attacks, injures woman

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Bercow admits using word "stupid" as he tries to defuse Leadsom row

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The House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, has sought to defuse a row with the government by admitting he muttered the word “stupid” during a disagreement with the leader of the house, Andrea Leadsom, but denied insulting her personally. In the chamber last Wednesday Bercow was accused of having said in an aside that Leadsom was a “stupid woman”, and swearing before describing her as “useless”, prompting Downing Street to say such language would be unacceptable. But in a statement to MPs on Monday Bercow said that while he had been annoyed by the government’s decision to schedule a statement on the East Coast rail franchise on an opposition day, he had not insulted Leadsom. “I thought then, as I think now, that this was very badly handled,” Bercow told MPs. “It was in particular disrespectful both to the house and to the 23 backbenchers who were hoping to participate in the opposition day debate on the Grenfell Tower disaster. “It was in that context, and that context alone, that,

PM backs investigation into Bercow"s alleged "stupid woman" remark

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Theresa May has said there should be an investigation if a complaint is made over allegations that John Bercow, the House of Commons Speaker, called Andrea Leadsom a “stupid woman” in heated exchanges after prime minister’s questions. The prime minister’s spokesman said: “We’ve seen the alleged remarks and clearly the prime minister thinks they are unacceptable. And if an official complaint is made, it should be properly investigated.” But MPs have said the Commons system of investigation is too flawed to do an effective job. Although any complaint can trigger an investigation by the parliamentary standards commissioner, Kathryn Stone, her report has to be submitted to the committee on standards. On Tuesday, MPs on the committee blocked an inquiry into historical allegations of bullying by Bercow by three votes to two. The committee is unique because it has lay members, but they do not have a vote. It is understood these members unanimously supported an investigation. Leadsom, the le

John Bercow to face Andrea Leadsom after "stupid woman" row

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John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons, will face Andrea Leadsom on Monday for the first time since claims he called her “ a stupid woman ” after angry exchanges during Wednesday’s business in the House and a later exchange in which, it is claimed, he called the leader of the Commons a liar. Their encounter will come as MPs are set to debate a technical motion on whether the government is obstructing backbench business. Bercow has been a champion of backbench rights, and the government is accused of trying to block them. It has now emerged that after Leadsom was told of last Wednesday’s remarks, which she did not hear herself, she went to the Speaker to ask him to apologise. She can be seen on a internal House of Commons tape talking to Bercow. He seems to then wave her away. Leadsom’s office claims that he called her a liar during the exchanges. Bercow could not be reached for comment. There has been no formal complaint to the parliamentary standards commissioner since the

John Bercow reported to Commons watchdog over "stupid woman" claims

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John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons , has been reported to its standards watchdog over allegations that he described the cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom as a “stupid woman”. The Conservative MP James Duddridge, a long-standing critic of Bercow, called for the standards commissioner to secure video and audio footage of the alleged incident in the Commons chamber last week before it was destroyed. Bercow sought to defuse the row on Monday by admitting he muttered the word “stupid” during a disagreement with the leader of the house about the timetabling of legislation, but denied insulting her personally. He was accused of having said in an aside that Leadsom was a “stupid woman”, and swearing before describing her as “useless”, prompting Downing Street to say such language would be unacceptable. In his complaint letter on Tuesday, Duddridge wrote: “I am writing in order to make a formal complaint concerning the behaviour of the Speaker, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, on Wednesd

A Driver"s Drive: Ryan Blaney takes over the family business

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As a kid, Ryan Blaney never had any doubt that racing would be a part of his life. Growing up in the family business, he didn’t give it a lot of thought as he watched his father, Dave Blaney compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. Racing was just always there. Perhaps that is why even with only two full seasons under his belt, Blaney often has the demeanor of a veteran. “Growing up in the sport and watching my Dad do it – you know, watching a lot of good times, bad times – you know, this sport is a rollercoaster,” Blaney said on Wednesday’s NASCAR America. “You’re not going to win every race. You’re going to lose a lot more races than you’re going to win. You have to learn to deal with that and move on from that, trying to figure out how to win the next one.” And while racing was an almost foregone conclusion, success was not. “Really not until you have some success … and that stuff until you realize you can make it at the Cup level or do it for a career. You just are never certain if it’s

Clark County second-deadliest for teen drivers in Washington state

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Memorial Day marks the start of the 100 Deadliest Days for teen drivers CLARK COUNTY — Memorial Day is the unofficial start of what has been dubbed the “100 Deadliest Days” for teenage drivers in America. According to AAA, crashes involving inexperienced drivers climbs 15 percent between Memorial Day and Labor Day compared to the rest of the year. Davis Law Group put together a list of the deadliest Washington Counties for teen drivers. Photo Courtesy Davis Law Group Here in Washington State, the Davis Law Group out of Seattle has compiled a list of the deadliest counties for teen drivers. Tiny Asotin County, in the far southeast corner of the state, tops the list, with just over 19 percent of crashes involving a serious injury or fatality between 2013 and 2017 involving a teenaged driver. Next up is Clark County, at just over 17 percent. Advice for teen drivers The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has the following advice to help keep kids safer on the road, especially during the Sum

Did Uber Do Enough to Make Test AVs Safe?

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User Rank CEO Re: So many stupid morons involved in this. realjjj   5/29/2018 8:50:40 PM NO RATINGS The human operator is supposed to make the car as safe as any other car. If Uber failed, that"s where it failed. The autonomous system is being tested, there is no threshold for how "crappy" it can be, as long as it does not make the car more dangerous than the average car. You can argue that disabling AEB did that but few vehicles have AEB for now - and do remember that AEB is an autonomous feature that clearly shows us how much value autonomy can provide. From an ethics perspective they could have done more ofc but that"s true for every vehicle out there as cost is the main constraint. Uber"s drivers were supposed to do more than just drive and that"s not acceptable. More training and oversight was likely needed too. User Rank Freelancer Re: So many stupid morons involved in this. EELoser   5/29/2018 7:54:31 PM NO RATINGS They didn"t test i

Michael Laws says changing Gypsy Day "PC gone really stupid"

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The Otago Regional Council will revert to using the term Gypsy Day after it renamed the rural occurrence last year in an act one councillor calls "PC gone really stupid". The term refers to the annual transfer of cows between farms for winter grazing by sharemilkers, traditionally on June 1. Former regional council chief executive Peter Bodeker last year changed the council"s reference of the day to Mooving Day. At a regional council meeting yesterday councillor Michael Laws said this was changed "arbitrarily" without any consultation. This followed a complaint from Dunedin city councillor Aaron Hawkins, who said the term gypsy was often used as a slur against Romany people. Advertisement Cattle move past Dunedin Airport, at Momona, during a previous Gypsy Day. Photo / Gerard O"Brien "It"s PC gone really stupid. This is a really good example of the ORC saying "we don"t care what you think" to the rural communi

US might get nasty at EU privacy laws

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What do you mean our corporations can"t spy on users? The US government is getting rather tetchy as the new GDPR privacy laws roll out. Apparently the United States is deeply concerned that the new European Union privacy guidelines will change how companies do business, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said, adding that the regulation should be implemented in a way to minimize barriers to trade. It is important to realise that when he means "barriers to trade" he means the ability of US companies to steal EU citizens data and flog it to whoever they like. He also means that US  spooks should be given the right to snuffle any EU data they like. New European privacy regulations went into effect last Friday that will force companies to be more attentive to how they handle customer data and while the contents have been known about for a couple of years, US businesses are not happy, and have probably yanked the chain of some of their tame politicians to create a stink. “We i

Trump Pardons Conservative, Says Lifestyle Maven Stewart May Be Next

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Trump tweets he will give full pardon to Dinesh D"Souza

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No, it"s not illegal to ride a motorcycle shirtless in Minnesota -- it"s just stupid

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All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts. (Minnesota) — Awful Laws (@Lawfulaws) May 30, 2018 Except it"s not really true. According to the Minnesota State Law Library, there’s nothing on the books that says you can’t go shirtless on your motorcycle. And while it"s difficult to say if a local ordinance somewhere mentions the act (some laws tend to stay on the books long past their point of relevance), it"s definitely not fair to call it a Minnesota law. If you ask someone who actually rides motorcycles, riding shirtless is usually less about “can you” and more about “why would you?” “Legally, there’s no law against it, but in terms of stupidity, it’s right up at the top,” says Peter Johns, a member of the Ton-Up Minneapolis vintage motorcycle club. He’s been riding for over 35 years, and he’s probably seen about three people riding shirtless. “It’s honestly a point-and-laugh situation,” he says. A shirt -- and ideally, a jacket -- is the only thing keeping your

Here"s everything wrong with the government"s confusing new GMO labeling law

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The federal government"s new, costly GMO labeling requirements will only increase uncertainty about genetically modified food. May 31st, 2018 by Patrick Clinton Commentary <!-- --> So just how bad are the new federal regulations on labeling genetically engineered food? I don’t think anyone is standing up and cheering  The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS), as it’s called, was supposed to replace a potentially expensive and confusing proliferation of statewide standards with a single national standard for labeling GMOs. It does that, or at least it will if it survives the inevitable court challenges it will face. But it also preserves all the muddle, gaps, and inconsistencies about GMO labeling that you might have hoped would be cleared up along the way. Maybe you were hoping the regs would provide consumers with a consistent, transparent, easy-to-use way to tell which food products contain ingredients whose genes have been meddle